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Athesian
Athesians are a grouping of Humans that descend from the ancient people of Athesia. Physically, they are defined by their light eyes and hair, and their narrow, slit-like eyes. Their noses tend to be small and slight, and their height is usually comparable to that of Dryads. History Culture and characteristics Faith The Athesian religion worships several gods. Among their deities are Kohrbein, the god of war, Kundek, the god of death, Yrsa, the goddess of love and fertility, and Herlu, the trickster. This religion has influenced the minor deities worshiped by the Warthorn Elves. Even so, other religions are common among the Athesians. Most known religions have Athesian followers, and the kingdom has an institution that ensures complete religious freedom. All religious leaders are exempt from taxation and public service. As such, an Athesian settlement may have several temples and other places of worship for a wide variety of religions. Gender roles Though Athesian society is patriarchal, patrilineal, and patrilocal, women are afforded several rights. Their society is largely meritocratic, and therefore gender roles are nonexistant. Both husband and wife are permitted to kill the other and their partner if caught in the act of adultery. Furthermore, the children of concubines are considered legitimate, and children derive their status from their mother, rather than their father. Government Athesia is governed by a code of laws devised by the King. A particular canon of this code was that those of rank share the same hardship as the common man. It also imposes severe penalties, e.g. the death penalty if one mounted soldier following another does not pick up something dropped from the mount in front. Penalties are also decreed for rape and to some extent for murder. One of Athesia's most infamous prisons is located within a glacier.Any resistence to Athesian rule is met with massive collective punishment. Cities are destroyed and their inhabitants slaughtered if they defy Athesian orders. Chiefs and generals are selected based on merit. The kingdom is governed by a non-democratic, parliamentary style central assembly in which the Athesian chiefs met with the Great King to discuss domestic and foreign policies. Assemblies are also convened for the selection of each new Great King. The Athesians also have a national seal, encourage the use of a written alphabet, and exempt teachers, lawyers, and artists from taxes. The Athesians are tolerant of other religions, and rarely persecute people on religious grounds. This is associated with their culture and progressive thought. Economy The first Great King authorized the use of paper money shortly before his death. It was backed by precious metals and silk. The Athesians use silver ingot as a unified money of public account, while circulating paper money in the east and coins in the western areas of the kingdom. The Athesians' paper money is made out of mulberry bark, whereas the coins are made out of gold, silver, and copper. The northern reaches of the kingdom still pay their taxes in the form of goods and commodities. Warfare The Athesians have one of the largest militaries in the world, though their exact numbers are the subject of scholarly debate. Their organization is simple but effective, based on the decimal system. The army is built up of squads of ten men each, and each further division is made up of ten of the previous. The Athesians are most famous for their horse archers, but troops armed with lances are equally skilled, and they recruit other military talents from the lands they conquer. With experienced engineers and a bombardier corps which are experts at building trebuchets, catapults, and other machines, the Athesians can lay siege to fortified positions, sometimes building machinery on the spot using available local resources. Forces under the command of Athesia are trained, organized, and equipped for mobility and speed. Athesian soldiers are more lightly armored than many of the armies they face, but are able to make up for it with maneuverability. Each Athesian warrior usually travels with multiple horses, allowing him to quickly switch to a fresh mount as needed. In addition, the soldiers of an Athesian army function independently of supply lines, considerably speeding up army movement. Skillful use of couriers enable the leaders of these armies to maintain contact with one another. Discipline is indicated during a traditional hunt. These hunts are distinctive from hunts in other cultures, being the equivalent of small unit actions. Athesian forces spread out in a line, surround and entire region, and then drive all of the game within that area together. The goal is to let none of the animals escape and to slaughter them all. Another advantage of the Athesians is their ability to traverse large distances, even in unusually cold winters; for instance, frozen rivers lead them like highways to large urban centers on their banks. The Athesians are adept at river-work, known for crossing rivers in spring flood conditions with several thousand cavalry soldiers. Traditionally known for their prowess with ground forces, the Athesians are also prodigious sailors. They are known to build and utilize several types of ships for various purposes. Their longships are intended for warfare and exploration, designed for speed and agility, and are equipped with oars to complement the sail, making navigation possible independently of the wind. All military campaigns are preceded by careful planning, reconnaissance, and the gathering of sensitive information relating to enemy territories and forces. The success, organization, and mobility of the Athesian armies permit them to fight on several fronts at once. All adult males up to the age of sixty are eligible for conscription into the army, a source of honor in the tribal warrior tradition. According to custom, all Athesian men are required to own weapons and are permitted to carry them at all times. These arms are indicative of an Athesian's social status; a wealthy Athesian has a complete ensemble of helmet, shield, mail shirt, and sword. However, swords are rarely used in battle, usually used as symbolic or decorative items. A typical freeman is more likely to fight with a spear and shield, and most also carry a knife for utility reasons as well as a side-arm. Bows are used in the opening stages of land battles and at sea. Athesians are relatively unusual for their use of axes as a main battle weapon, a trait only shared with the Warthorn Elves and Dwarves of Cartham. The warfare and violence of the Athesians are often motivated and fueled by their beliefs in Athesian religion, focusing on Kohrbein and Kundek, the gods of war and death. In combat, the Athesians sometimes engage in a disordered style of frenetic, furious fighting known as "berserking", leading them to be termed "berserkers". Foreign relations Languages Athesian is the common tongue for the Athesian people, though most of them know a few phrases in Carthian. Naming The most common category of Athesian names are those of auspicious or (for boy) manly things, such as gold, eternity, surplus, good health, firmness, stability, etc. Such names are often combined with suffixes only used for personal names, such as "-der" for boys and "lun" for girls. There are also a number of degrading and inauspicious names, such as those meaning "pox girl" or "dog". These names are attempts to fool bad spirits and disease into thinking it had already afflicted them. Symbolic names that express frustration can be found, such as the not uncommon girls' name "Nestangutt", meaning "next time a boy", and "Jest", meaning "guest", which indicates doubts about a child's paternity. Noble families usually choose their surname or gain one from fame or nicknames. The Clan Ironside claim to be descendants of the Warthorn Elves of Cartham, while Clan Grandstaff earned their name because of their founder's height. People not born of noble birth inherit their parents' names as their surname, such as "Gulderson" as the "son of Gulder", or "Hundottir", as the "daughter of Hund". As such, the Athesian smallfolk rarely have lasting family names. Common male names: Fastheder, Gulder, Helsder, Hund, Iluuder, Jest, Togtvorder, Uurder Common female names: '''Gullen, Helselen, Iluudelen, Koppike, Nestangutt, Uurdlen '''Common surnames: Technology and magic Cuisine The Athesians differentiate two types of food; "red food" and "white food". White foods are usually dairy products and are the main food source during the summer. The main part of their diet is fermented mare's milk. They rarely drink fresh milk, but often use it to create other foods, including cheese and yogurt. Red foods are usually meat and are the main food source during the winter, usually boiled and served with wild garlic or onions. The Athesians have a unique way of slaughtering their animals to get meat. The animal is laid on its back and restrained. Then the butcher cuts its chest open and rips open the aorta, which causes deadly internal bleeding. Animals are slaughtered in this fashion because it keeps all of the blood inside of the carcass. Once all of the internal organs are removed, the blood was then drained out and used for sausages. The Athesians also hunt animals as a food source, including rabbit, deer, wild boar, and even wild rodents such as squirrels and marmots. During the winter, the Athesians also practice ice fishing. The Athesians rarely slaughter animals during the summer, but if an animal dies of natural causes they make sure to carefully preserve it. This is done by cutting the meat into strips and then letting it dry by the sun and the wind. During the winter, sheep are the only domestic animal slaughtered, but horses are occasionally slaughtered for ceremonies. Meal etiquette existed only during large gatherings and ceremonies. The meal, usually meat, was cut up into small pieces. Guests were served their meat on skewers and the host determined the order of serving. People of different social classes were assigned to different parts of the meat and it was the responsibility of the server to know who was in each social class. The meat was eaten with fingers and the grease was wiped on the ground or on clothing. The most commonly imported fare is liquor, the most popular being wine. Drunkenness is common at festivals and gatherings. Singing and dancing are also common after the consumption of alcohol. Noodles also appear in Athesian food. Spices such as cardamom and other food such as chickpeas and fenugreek seeds also are part of their diet. Customs The Athesians are a nomadic people. Their shelters are made of long wooden poles and are covered with painted canvas. Their villages usually include little more than tents and fire pits. The Athesians' simple lifestyle is not due to the lack of intellectual capacity, but because of their belief that hardship is a challenge of one's ability. As a result, they prefer to improve the ways they know rather than devise new ones. In contrast to their lack of technological refinement in daily life and most activities, Athesians have, on occasion, shown curious aptitude in weapons design and tinkering, something which they seem to guard jealously, except to those they deem worthy. The Athesians live in a tribe made up of several family clans. Each is led by a dominant chieftain along with the counsel of a shaman. Chieftains may be challenged for control of their tribe, initiated by throwing one's weapon at the chieftain's feet. Such challenges involve a head-to-head competition in which the chieftain and the challenger race to kill specified game. Placement in a tribe is earned through completion of a trial which must be faced alone. Passage of this trial grants one a place in a tribe. Despite living in groups, the Athesians are highly individualistic and value independence. Each member of a tribe must prove that they possess the will to survive alone. What the Athesians value above all else is to prevail against any challenge, and to accept any challenge that awaits. Most would rather die rather than refuse a challenge for being too difficult. An Athesian's ranking is defined almost entirely by their ability and accomplishments. Simply put, Athesian culture respects skill and nothing else. As such, Athesian society is largely meritocratic, making them the only known tribe free of gender roles. The Athesians are notable for their use of colorful dyes, which they harvest from geothermal pools or rock formations. They use these pigments for dying their clothing and objects, and for painting. The dying of their clothing also serves a practical purpose, as it helps the Athesians differentiate fellow hunters from their prey. Their geometric designs can be observed on the canvas used for shelter, and on mountainsides. The designs appear to have spiritual purpose, for either protection, calling to spirits, or other meanings. The paintings in Toelver have existed for generations, being continually repainted; to edit or paint over them is considered sacrilege. Athesian society is lead by shamans who often participate in "medicine hunts" and claim to be able to sense the presence of nearby spirits. These shamans wear elaborate headresses. Shamans are typically responsible for harvesting game brought down by hunters, thanking the nature spirits before doing so. The most renowned shamans form a group known as the Conclave, which meets yearly in a sacred location known as Malstrom. The tribe has general knowledge of the glyphs left by the Ones Who Came Before, but they prefer to record history in song. Their oral tradition includes a large volume of hunting tales. Physical appearance Notables Factions & allies Known Athesians Etymology Appearances Category:Humans Category:Ethnic groups